


He's Gonna Be

by ThatRandomFan



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Ishtar Family + Bakura, M/M, datacow's contest, haha - Freeform, i really enjoyed writing this, my longest published work so far, see how creative I am with that title /shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 15:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10415217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatRandomFan/pseuds/ThatRandomFan
Summary: It has been two years since the Ishtar’s decided to visit Domino to see how everyone is doing; a year since the alleged visit has been made permanent due to Ishizu landing a job at the Domino Museum as its new curator; and, half a year since the spirit came back to life. Some said that it was a miracle for him to be back; all Marik could think of was that the man is a cockroach that just won’t stay dead.Alternative summary: Bakura tries to be a proper member of society while unconventionally wooing the unaware Marik.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [datacow40](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=datacow40).



> Hi, this is my entry for datacow40’s fanfiction writing contest. I'm not really sure under what category this is supposed to be but let's go with fluff haha. It's thiefshipping and somehow inspired by the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers. Enjoy!

The sun’s light slowly filled the room, painting it a mixture of violet and red from the windows that have been left open last night. Along with it came the sound of the birds chirping happily outside, welcoming a brand new day and creating a magnificent symphony of peace and serenity. Truly, it is the sort of picturesque thing that one would expect to see in movies and books about romance that everyone all secretly hopes to happen in their lifetime. Unfortunately, if your name is Marik Ishtar and you are currently nursing a hangover, this would be the last thing you would ask for.

It has been two years since the Ishtar’s decided to visit Domino to see how everyone is doing; a year since the alleged visit has been made permanent due to Ishizu landing a job at the Domino Museum as its new curator; and, half a year since the spirit came back to life. Some said that it was a miracle for him to be back; all Marik could think of was that the man is a cockroach that just won’t stay dead.

It was funny though, how the spirit pretty much threw a tantrum when he realized that the gods brought him back, not in his original body as he has hoped but, as a carbon-copy of his host, Ryou. But the gods may still have some mercy left in their hearts. Bakura may look like Ryou at one glance but a closer look sure reveals differences between them. Like how the spirit is capable of turning Ryou’s soft, placid features into something rough and malicious, or how the spirit actually looks taller than his former host due to how he presents himself.

All in all, the spirit’s return didn’t cause as much fanfare as he had hoped in the Ishtar residence. Obviously, Marik was shocked when he first heard of the news but after a while, the thief’s presence in their home became part of the usual Ishtar routine. What winds up Marik about him though is the thief’s peculiar habit of finding himself in Marik’s bed every morning. Like now.  And if there’s one thing Marik Ishtar hates more than having a hangover and being woken up by the sun he loves so much with the bird’s songs accompanying it, it is waking up with a hangover and the sun’s rays directed right to his eyes because someone forgot to close the windows again with the annoying birds still chirping about some nonsense outside. And most of all, the most important detail as to why this specific morning sucks, is waking up to a hair full of ash in his face and bleached limbs all over him.

Marik’s a nice guy really. Sure he may have made some bad decisions and done some particularly nasty things in his life, but all in all, Marik’s a nice guy. That’s why when he first saw the thief cradled in his arms in a morning like this, he let the thief sleep in and drew the curtains over the windows on his way out. Same thing happened when he saw Bakura again the following morning, snoring away to dreamland with a peaceful smile on his face that broke Marik’s heart. Then came the third day, and the fourth, and the fifth, and- Marik can only take so much before his patience run dry. He may be a nice guy but he is by no means a charitable institution. Especially when his head won’t stop throbbing and the damn birds still won’t stop twittering outside!

With a glare that once caused men to run for the hills in fright, Marik wearily shoved the thief. “I know you’re awake, Bakura. Get off.”

Unfortunately for Marik, this earned him nothing but incoherent mumbling and limbs tangling themselves even more towards him, forming some sort of coil that a snake would be proud of.

“Bakura, come on. Get off. I need to use the bathroom.” He would have shouted to get Bakura off faster but Marik’s throat feels as dry as the desert he grew up in and his chest feels so nice and warm with the thief’s face pressed to it and his breath---

“I said, get off,” Marik insisted a push of his arms, a new found strength working its way to his limbs.

“Marik,” Bakura--- the thief whined, trying to pull Marik close to him once more but it just isn’t so with Marik fighting with everything he has to free himself from the thief’s grasps.

“No. Get off.” Marik once again pulled himself off Bakura’s pallid appendages, that strangely complimented Marik’s own when they are twined together, and quickly stood up, walking away from the bed with his back turned towards the window before Bakura can jerk him back to sleeping with him. “Seriously, you always do this,” Marik muttered, more to himself than to his obviously unwelcome guest, as he massaged his temples. He would have said more but his own voice gets on his own nerves right now; at least it seemed to spook the birds outside to finally quieting down.

When Marik finally deemed himself prepared to face the music, he raised his heliotrope-colored eyes and let his hand fall towards his hip. One would have thought the pose befitted a king that’s awaiting a report but with Marik wearing nothing but his black tank-top and shorts, he looked more like a nagging girlfriend in the morning. A thought that Bakura highly appreciated the moment he opened his eyes and raked it all over Marik’s form, albeit squinting a bit from the sun’s rays radiating off Marik’s back.

It was in this moment that Marik quietly watched Bakura sit up on his silk-laden bed with a yawn and relished on the sound of his joints popping with every stretch he did.

“Are you quite done?” Marik inquired with a scowl and arms crossed, his feet tapping the floorboards.

“Well good morning to you too, sunshine,” the thief casually replied with a shit-eating grin that only he seems capable of. God, Marik seriously wants to throw him off the window just to see if that monstrosity will still stay on his face.

“Get out.”

“No.”

Marik’s head is still pounding from all the shots he drank last night and he is still reeling from having to hear his own voice rose earlier. If it’s a fight Bakura wants, he sure as hell won’t be getting it from him. No, Marik Ishtar will rest this thing off **and then** he’ll get Bakura back for this.

“Fine,” he said, walking out of the room leaving Bakura to writhe against the bed sheets as the sunlight scorched him.

 

* * *

 

A jewelry shop recently opened in Domino City. It features various accessories but most famous of all is their specially crafted gold necklace with a huge chunk of amethyst for a pendant.

Every single time Marik passes by that specific shop downtown, he can’t help but look over and appreciate the designs placed on it. Honestly, if given the chance he would run his fingers over it without a second thought just to feel its texture on his fingertips; however, one look at the price tag connected to it is all it takes for Marik to shake his head and walk away. There had been a time when he won’t even bat an eye at it and simply took it by force but those days are long behind him. If he wants it, then he’ll have to work hard to get it. It took him literal years to get his siblings to believe that his life of crime is long behind him – he won’t lose it for just a pretty trinket. Even if the said trinket’s amethyst gems twinkled just right under the sun’s watchful eye and its gilded chains glowed in a way that reminded Marik of a certain artifact from days long gone.

After a few more moments of ogling, Marik finally shook himself and looked up just in time to see fiery brown eyes staring at him right behind the glass.

“The fuck?!” Marik quickly looked around with wide eyes and pressed lips. While not running for being a saint anytime soon, Marik received enough dirty looks from his sister to know that his language displeases her. Satisfied that no one he knows, or rather his sister knows, is around to tattle, Marik looked over Bakura: that stupid grin of his along with the small amount of perspiration on his forehead doesn’t make this chanced meeting any better for Marik, if anything, it added more to his confusion.

Maybe Bakura noticed this or maybe he just wants to confuse Marik even more. Regardless of his motives, Bakura went outside to meet Marik after excusing himself from the shop owner. And so, with a shit-eating grin and his hands on his faded jean’s pockets, Bakura greeted Marik.

“Sup.”

It took all of Marik’s self-control not to sock him right there. “Mind explaining what you’re doing in there?” he said as if asking a question but both of them knew better. _You better answer me, you ass._

“Oh you know,” Bakura shrugged before continuing. ”Just walking around… looking for new things to take …” he said while letting his sight settle on the ornament Marik was just admiring earlier. He then looked at Marik to see his reaction and laughed. Not the sort of laugh that he usually uses when he tries to be condescending. No, this is more happy, more--- human. Marik doesn’t know how he feels about that.

The laugh added more to Marik’s worries causing his already wrinkled brow and tightly pressed lips from earlier to furrow even further and form a scowl.

“Holy shit, Marik- you should have seen your face!” When all the laughter has been drained out of him, Bakura finally answered Marik’s implied question. “I’m in charge of this place’s security,” he finished with a proud smirk that Marik was sure if Bakura was a cat, he would be the infamous Cheshire cat.

Marik patiently waited for the punchline; be it one of his snarky comments or one of his puns but none came.

“You think I’m joking,” Bakura stated after a long while of staring at each other, his smile withering with every passing minute. “God, Marik! Is this really that hard to believe?”

Not the snarky comment Marik was waiting for but it’ll do. The outburst caused comfort to burst inside Marik and before he knew it, laughter that sounded far too much like an angel’s choir to Bakura came pouring out of him. “I’m sorry…? It’s just that the thought of you working…”

Marik can’t even begin to imagine it. Sure the thief has been a great partner-in-crime, albeit a tad problematic and stubborn, but to be a part of the legal workforce? Unthinkable! Did Marik bump his head this morning? Maybe he’s actually dead already? With a shake of his head, Marik started walking away with a fond smile he will deny later on decorating his face.

“Whatever. Just don’t mess it up, alright?” he said with his arm raised, waving goodbye to the thief behind him.   

 

* * *

 

Marik doesn’t know how it happened but he somehow managed to find himself on a bar with a drunken Bakura in tow.

He was just planning on spending a quiet night alone with nothing but a glass of good, old scotch to lift his spirits from his mundane life. The next thing he knows, Bakura is next to him nursing a shot of vodka and prattling on and on about some nonsense his new boss said earlier. If he knew this is what awaited him, he would have just gone home and turned himself in for the night. Seriously, Bakura’s uncanny ability to always manage to find Marik is starting to alarm him. What is he; some sort of stalker?

“You’re here to get drunk Marik, not think! Drink!” Bakura slurred while nudging Marik with his empty glass, cheeks flushed from all the shots he has taken earlier.

And that’s another thing, that’s been bothering Marik. The fact that maybe the gods still hasn’t forgiven him from all the things he has done and bringing Bakura back to life was his punishment. But that doesn’t make sense- the gods want him to babysit Bakura for the rest of his days? Do they get some kind of perverse entertainment from his suffering? What kind of twisted sense of humor is that? Then again, it’s not as if he could talk. He has, after all, gotten his fair share of _schadenfreude_ in his earlier years.

With an exasperated look at his charge, Marik pried the glass away from the former thief’s clutches. “You’re drunk, Bakura.”

“Not yet, I ain’t!” he insisted. “Barkeep! Another please!” 

“But sir, that’s your 14th shot---“

“Shut up, Pharaoh!” Bakura slammed his fists on the bar before continuing with a chilling glare that would have been intimidating, if he weren’t staring at a picture of a tequila sunrise hanging up the wall. It doesn’t even look remotely like Atem. “You’re not my king! I didn’t vote for you!”

The poor bartender exchanged a look with him. Marik then shook his head and merely watched Bakura make a fool of himself, finally enjoying his scotch.

“Come on! Where is it?! I want my drink! I **demand** my drink!”  Bakura tried to stand up and reach for the bartender’s collar but with his legs feeling like jelly and his reflexes significantly slower than usual, the anxious barkeeper merely have to step back to avoid Bakura’s snooping hands.

“First day of work?” Marik casually asked him, taking note of the man’s newly polished shoes, pressed uniform and fidgety hands. 

The bartender merely sent Marik an uneasy smile before attending to the other patrons. Lucky guy, if only he can also ditch Bakura like that.

“Marik, come on!” Bakura whined after slinging his arms around him, his face close enough that Marik can easily smell the alcohol on his breath. “Tell that stupid face to give me more!”

“Fine, fine…” he replied, placating Bakura while trying to get him to sit back down on his own seat. With a flick of his wrists, Marik caught the bartender’s attention and the man handed Bakura a glass of cold water.

“Fantastic!” Bakura downed his drink in one big gulp and gasped. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” he exclaimed, raising the glass up high as if to show everyone the great feat he just did. He then lowered it slowly before cradling the glass, pressing it close to his chest as if it is his babe. “Shhh… it’s okay… don’t cry…”

After sharing a despairing look with the bartender, Marik ordered another glass of whisky. If he intends to survive tonight with his sanity still intact, might as well work on getting royally pissed soon because heaven knows just what sort of shenanigans he’ll find himself in with Bakura and he sure as hell don’t want to be sober for it.

The next morning, after hours of worrying and restless sleep, Ishizu and Rishid will find a plastered Marik asleep on their doorstep, with a warmhearted smile on his lips and a familiar gilded necklace on his neck.

 

* * *

 

It’s a wonder how the necklace remained as impeccable as it was with everything he and Bakura did last night. Sure the alcohol blurred the images enough for Marik to not be sure just what exactly it is they did, but the presence of Domino’s fine police force in their house earlier is enough to assure Marik that whatever happened last night can’t be anything good. Then again, if he managed to get a necklace for babysitting a drunken Bakura, is it really that bad?

As if it never left the store’s shelf on which it hung on a pedestal, the necklace gleamed when the sun’s fading rays hit it. Albeit begrudgingly, Marik tried to return it back to the shop earlier, he is reformed after all.  He expected the shop keeper to be worried for their lost property. That’s why when he entered the shop and was greeted by a warm smile, Marik was having second thoughts about his soon-to-happen act of goodwill. In the end, Marik hesitantly took out the necklace out of his pocket and handed it to the owner. Only to be embarrassed by the boisterous laughter that followed the act.

Apparently the thief didn’t steal it as Marik initially suspected.

The shop owner explained that Bakura agreed to watch the shop for them in exchange for the necklace. Obviously the shop owner has to be a naïve fool to do that, then again Marik can’t deny the merits of having a master thief looking after his assets. The thought of Bakura getting caught trying to steal the necklace and ultimately getting employed as the shop’s very own guard was too amusing for Marik that his snicker slowly turned into laughter.

“That’s a fine necklace you have there, brother.” Rishid’s soothing baritone earned him a grin from Marik.

“Welcome back! Tired?”

Ever since Marik’s darkness was banished by the pharaoh and their family returned to Egypt, Rishid made it his job to assist Ishizu in her job. He worked as some sort of quasi-assistant to his own sister even when they moved here in Domino. The museum then eventually offered him his own job after seeing how dedicated he is in learning the ancient texts and preserving their heritage and culture. Something that Marik has always lacked.

His brother merely nodded and closed the door of their modest home. “Work is hard but not impossible. It is only a matter of time until we can fully decipher what the text means.”

Marik hummed in response. It was what his siblings are currently working on: translating some of the recently dug-up scrolls from the Valley of the Kings. The museum insisted that Marik be a part of the crew due to his knowledge of hieratic texts but his siblings adamantly refused the moment they found out that the scrolls speak of the nameless pharaoh’s reign.  Granted, Ishizu was more than happy to add Marik into their workforce in the beginning but after a solemn heart-to-heart talk with each other, everyone agreed to just leave Marik out of it. He may be thankful to the pharaoh for his help but he still resents him for a lifetime of torment and grief.

“Ishizu’s resting upstairs. The trip really took its toll on her,” Marik said while following his brother into the kitchen, the necklace once again hanging on his neck.

“Of course,” Rishid agreed, starting to re-heat this morning’s leftovers for dinner. “I’m not mad,” he added after watching Marik fidget beside him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Habibi, the neighbors told me what happened earlier.” Rishid smiled and took his plate to the table, sitting down to eat. It was kushari with Ishizu’s very own twist to it, something that remains a secret only she knows of. “But enough of that…” he paused to drink from his glass before continuing with a bright, teasing grin on his face that he rarely sees.

“Let’s talk about your necklace.”

Marik never thought that he will curse the day Rishid broke out of his stillness.

 

* * *

 

It has been days since he talked with Rishid regarding the ornament on his neck. The things Rishid said after he was done teasing Marik made him think about the thief’s motives. Just why exactly would he do all that to give Marik a necklace? Sure, the two of them were partners-in-crime for a time but after that- none. Marik severed all his ties to his past self the moment the pharaoh has redeemed him. He left Domino right after disbanding the Ghouls and showing the pharaoh his birthright. He even handed the Millennium Ring to the pharaoh himself. There’s literally nothing between him and the thief other than that short-lived partnership. He didn’t even know that the thief was in Egypt until after the Ceremonial Duel was over, so why?

After a couple of twisting and turning on his silk sheets, Marik sighed, knowing that sleep will be elusive to him once again. Ever since his conversation with Rishid, he keeps on finding himself wide-awake at night, doing nothing but stare at his necklace and occasionally looking out at his open window. There are some things he wishes to discuss with Bakura but with the thief’s sudden disappearance, Marik’s thoughts can’t be still. The last time he saw the thief was right before he drunkenly shoved the necklace into Marik’s hands, spouting words that Marik can’t remember even if his life depended on it. Since then, Marik hasn’t been able see any trace of the thief no matter how hard he tried. One would have thought that being Bakura-free for an entire week would make a certain Ishtar happy but…

Marik huffed and quickly stood up to get a drink downstairs. Maybe having a cool glass of water will help him settle down. He knows it won’t work, he tried it countless of times before, but at least he tried. Maybe a walk would work too but he knows walking out now would not only rouse apprehension from his siblings but also earn him one of Ishizu’s infamous scolding. He was about to walk back towards his room when he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the mirror placed in their living room.

He noticed how matted his golden hair is along with his sunken cheeks and bloodshot eyes. No wonder his siblings constantly tell him to get some rest. He looks terrible!

With this thought in mind, Marik quietly climbed the stairs and opened the door to his room. It looks the same as it was when he left. No figure in his bed wrapped in silken sheets. No signs whatsoever of any late night visitors.  Absolutely nothing; his room is bare of any living being other than him. Then again, even if the thief is back to life in his own body, doesn’t he still count as a ghost? A malignant spirit from Marik’s past, perhaps? He looks like one anyway with his hoary hair and dead-looking limbs, so maybe? Shaking his head to clear it of these thoughts, Marik glanced at the opened window and decided to just leave it open for the night. No need to close it if there’s no one to prevent from getting in.

After one last searching look outside his window, Marik moved towards his bed in defeat. Just because he can’t sleep doesn’t mean he can’t try. And so, sleep he did.

 

* * *

 

 The sun’s rays slowly crept inside the room with the melodious songs of the birds outside accompanying it. It caressed Marik’s face with its gentle, golden touch as if asking him to open his eyes and see the wonders of the world. Well, damn shame then. Marik won’t be opening his eyes any time soon. He finally managed to find a comfortable position sometime in the night and he will not wake up till its noon. But the sun is adamant in waking the young man. Its rays grow brighter and brighter by the second until it reached that point where Marik can no longer ignore it.

Sluggish and still bleary-eyed, Marik blinked open his eyes only to close them once again to succumb back to the peaceful lull of sleep. He enjoyed the gentle singing of the birds outside and the scrumptious smell of breakfast being cooked downstairs. With a rare serene smile, he allowed himself to unwind and be free of his worries by sinking deeper into his dreams. He pressed himself closer to his pillow and dozed off. Or at least, he tried to until the sound of soft snoring reached his ears.

Marik squinted to accustom his eyes to his surroundings. Nothing seemed to be amiss other than the sudden increase of white in his room. _Wait._ He blinked once, and did it again just to be sure.

_No, the white is still there._

He tried to lift his hand to rub his eyes only to pause at what he saw: skin as pale as a dead man’s bone. With his eyes wide open and lips ajar in surprise, Marik tried to lean back as much he can without disturbing the man sleeping beside him and smirked. He stared at his former partner and entertained himself by observing him. He noted how the thief’s usual anemic complexion seemed even paler than usual, and how prominent the bags under his eyes are.

_Looks like we both haven’t been sleeping well, huh?_

Marik’s smirk then mellowed down to a fond smile when he noticed how the sun’s rays enveloped Bakura’s frame. His ashen hair shined in such a way that resembled a halo while the sunlight cloaked him in an ethereal glow. His eyes then caught sight of how the thief’s lips curl up in a serene smile that sent Marik’s heart fluttering and his mind to halt its senseless blabber. Managing to untangle his arm without waking him up, Marik stroke Bakura’s face with feather-light touches, afraid to wake him up and ultimately break the illusion. His fingers traced the thief’s face, leaving nothing untouched before settling down on his partner’s lips.

_We’re stupid. Oh, so stupid._

Taking in the sudden tranquility in the room, Marik allowed himself to relax, cuddle closer to the thief, and enjoy the pleasant songs of the birds outside. He appreciated how the sun’s rays seemed to grow dim the moment he tightened his arms around the thief and figured maybe this is what the gods have wanted from the start. But regardless of what the gods think, Marik decided that today won’t be a bad day to stay in bed longer than necessary.

And so with a content sigh, Marik let himself drift off to his first blissful sleep in a really long while.

**Author's Note:**

> Omake: 
> 
> Marik wakes up to the feeling of someone looking intently at him. Lo and behold, it's Bakura staring at him with that god-awful smirk of his. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." 
> 
> Marik didn't say anything and merely smiled. Moments later, Ishizu and Rishid will find Bakura sprawled outside Marik's door in an uncomfortable position with a sign on his back saying 'Do Not Disturb.' 
> 
> 'That'll teach him not to ruin my sleep,' Marik thought as he snuggled his pillow and drifted back to sleep.
> 
> \---
> 
> It's not really part of the story. It's just something I thought of as I was finishing it all up and it was too hilarious not to put so here it is. I can't exactly put it in the actual story since it kinda ruins the mood in the ending so yeah...


End file.
